News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-11-17
THE OLD SETTLER.
HE STRIKES NATURAL GAS,
And Mixes His Bear Up With 1t I'm
til Both are Lost.

81 see by the papers, Squire" sale
the Old Settler, ''that they'm findin
signs O coal lie an nat raj gas like sixt,
here an thar in deestric's not so terrible
fur from here, an th't konsekently lane
they usety beg folks to come an take
often Their hands at any price at all il
with dollar now, jist fur peep over
the stun wall at it. The minute fellel
finds signs O lie or nat'ral gas on his
plantation he needn't lug home his sup
plies in quart Jug no more, but kin
roll EN- in by the bar'l, fer signs O. them
kind is with more an inch thin q sartin-
per-sure grass an 'tater farm is wuth an
acre"
"Guess yer huggin' the truth pooty
clus fer wunst, Major" replied the
Squire, ''but tn hain't none O. them
signs ez likely to strike anywhar in our
bailiwick ez lightnin is to kill crow
roostin' on the North Pole. Thur one
thing I've allus wanted to see," contin-
ued the Squire, "but natur has ben
agin me an [ hain't never seen it, an
that the h'istin' of balloon. TIL can't
be he balloon h'istcd nowhar, Tn told,
Mess thur gas to hist it with. 1 s'pose
if we'd ha' had gas here, good many
fellers with balloons d ha' kim round
this way an showed us balloon raisin'
ev'ry now an then. Them must be lucky
deestric's that's got gas, an I'd like to
hev somebody strike it round here
some'ers, jist fer the sake O. havin' the
chance to see a balloon h'istin' fore [
turn my toes up. But that's bout ez
| oh 10 10 E, b
an find silver dollar rollin' up hill, an
my name gouged in it.
"Don't We be so consarned sure O.
that, Squire" said the Old Settler,
mysteriously, and with knowing shake
of his head. Give ben thinkin' a
leetle sence readin' bout them signs o
gas, b'gosh! 1 han't been only think
in, but I've been recollectin', an the
chances is th't me an you'll see wonders
yet afore We paddle over Jourdan. Tn
agointer tell We fer why, but 1 hadn't
orter, Squire, an if it want fer maxim
we 'shamed O. yerself, an shown th't
truth squashed in the mud is bound to
git up agin if We Civ her time, [ would
MT do it. Ye mowt remember th't jist
ten year ago this month [ kim in from
n leetle bar hunt. / didn't bring in no
bar, but 1 fetched back an up-anup
account O. how [ he'd shot one, an how
tn were sumpin' fearful an queer an
amazin' in the performances O that bar
arter bein' shot. Mebby We member
me tellin' We tht story, Squire, an you
a tellin me right in my teeth th't We
know'd th't some oyer friends had took
to lynn, but th't We didn't think any of
EN- had it SO bad ez that. But l hain't
holdin' no grudge, an now I'll tell we
sumpin' that'll s'prise ye.
''Ez [ tot We at the time, Squire, I
got the tip ten year ago this month,
th't unless somebody went up to Steve
Groner's Hill place an poured pound
or two O. lead inter big bar th't had
squatted on the farm. th't Steve would
not hev any live stock left to pervide
pork an beef for his winterin' over, even
if he managed to keep hisself and fam
lily theirselfs from linin' the bars in
nards. [ shouldered my gun and went
up to Steve's to hev some fun with
bruin. and to save Stoves stock and
resky him an his folks from the ram
pagin' bar.
Hes rip snorter, says Steve to
me, wen L got thar. He don't think
nothin' O luggin off n COW, he says,
IAN We don't wanter hev yer weather
eye shet wen you and him comes to-
gether, he says.
"'B'ars, 1 SEE to Steve, bars is nuts
fer me, an the bigger an sassier they
be, l says, 'tha more [ enjoy EN-
says, an with that / climb inter the
woods to show bruin th't tn want room
enough here below for me an him both
faint necessary fer me to tell O the
half dozen or more lively scrimmages
me and that bar had as we follered an
chased each other round an round
them woods-how he'd hide ahind some
big tree or stump, and ez [ went by,
elm on to me with all four O. his
feet, an yank an claw an dig meat an
clothes often me till | slung him off an
made him skin away to save his bacon;
an how I'd lay the same way fer him,
and wen he'd come sneakin' along,
after me agin, pitch arter him like
mad painter, and swat an pound and
choke an rassel him till his tongue
hung out, and till were sorry fer him
and let him get away inter the brush /
again to recooperate for the next round. |
faint with vile now fer me to say
anything about them little skrimmages
'cept the last un, an that I'm WANT
skrimmage, but sumpin' that would |
have skeert some folks dead i'll their |
tracks.
carter havin' half dozen or so O
rassels with this big bar jist fer fun,
made up my mind, ez 'twere gettin' late |
an ez Steve Groners folks was mebby
feelin' anxious to hear which was goin' |
ter run the farm, them or the bar, th't |
the next heat with bruin would be fer |
keeps. [ guess the oil Teller had made |
up his mind the same way, fer wen [ !
run agin him the las time he were riz |
up on his hind legs right on the edge o.
Deep Rock Gulley, and were waitin' fer |
me with his jaws wide open. | I'M
slung my gun, an takin' aim at one O
the bars fore paws, thought I'd wing |
him an make him come away from the |
edge O the gulley fore / tackled him. |
The ball hit the paw, an the bar throw'd |
'e1n both up. But he throw'd EN- up
too fur, an he fell over back rds, an
went head foremost inter the gulley. |
Deep Rock Gulley hain't an inch less'n
fifty foot from top to bottom, an the |
walls is ez steep ez the side of house |
went up to the edge an looked over.
Their were the bar layin' on his face at |
the bottom, whar them queer cracks is
in the ground, an he were a howlin'
like a hurricane an kickin' like a mule.
Their he laid, and he want able to raise
up. TIL want no way O gettin' down /
to him 'cept by tumblin' down ez he
had, an if ever anybody were poppin'
mad were, ez see my meat layin' at
the bottom O that gulley, an the crows
a-getherin' to hev picnic with it. The
more | KEEP my eyes on that bar, the
madden 1 got, an were jist about to
roll an tumble an slide down the side
O. that gulley, ruther than go back home
an say th't I'd let the crows steal bar
away from me, wen / see q funny
change comm over the bar. He didn't
howl so much and his kicks want so
vicious. Then his hind parts began to
lift themsefs up often the ground i'll a
curious sort o way, an swung an bob
bed in the air. They KEEP raisin' higher
an higher till the bar were act'ally
on his head, an swayin' to an
fro ez if wind were BLOWN him an he
couldn't help it. The sight was so on
common out O the reg lar way bars has
o. actin that it seemed skeery, an felt
ez if I'd ruther be home diggin' my
Eaters. But KEEP on gain at the bar
n circusin at the bottom o The gully,
and 'twain't long fore the hull big car
case begun to raise right up often the
ground an come a-foatin up outen that
gulley, fer all the world ez if 'twant
mOre'n a feather. The bar come up
ards tail foremost, an l noticed th't he